Vitamin D Can Keep You Mentally Sharp

Vitamin D Can Keep You Mentally Sharp

This finding comes from a study published in The Journals of Gerontology Series A and looked at cognitive impairment in elderly Chinese individuals. More than 1200 elderly Chinese residents were assessed for a period of two years. The results were quite astounding; the researchers found that regardless of their age, elderly Chinese with lower vitamin D levels at the start of the study were twice as likely to experience cognitive decline over time. The study only lasted two years, so being low in vitamin D rapidly speeds up brain aging in elderly people.

Vitamin D is so important for good health. It helps to keep your bones strong, strengthens your immune system, reducing the risk of infections and cancer. It is also important for a healthy mood; being low in vitamin D raises the risk of depression. Now we also know that being low in this nutrient speeds up the rate at which your brain ages. Ensuring you get enough vitamin D can protect against damage to nerves and loss of nerves in the brain.

A surprising number of people all over the world are low in vitamin D. If you live in a cold climate or an area that doesn’t receive much sunshine, you are at risk. You make vitamin D in your body when the sun’s UVB rays shine on your skin. Unfortunately by the time we are 50 our skin doesn’t do a great job anymore. Vitamin D production also occurs in the liver and kidneys, and if these organs aren’t healthy your vitamin D level can suffer.

Ask your doctor for a vitamin D blood test. If you are low, you might need to increase sensible sun exposure. In most instances a vitamin D supplement is also required in order to reach an optimal blood level. Dementia is reaching astronomic proportions all over the world. Vitamin D is such a simple low cost remedy that can ease the dreadful burden of this disease.